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Troops punished for urination video, and for burning Qurans

U.S. troops involved in the Quran burnings at a U.S. air
base in Afghanistan and a video where Marines urinated on Taliban corpses were
punished on Monday, according to military officials.

The service members disciplined received “non-judicial”
punishments, meaning they will not get jail time but could face a reprimand,
loss of rank and denial of re-enlistments or promotions.

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The Marines announced the discipline against three Marines
involved in the urination video, and military officials told The Hill the
charges against troops involved in the Quran burnings would be released later
on Monday.

The U.S. military faced a backlash from the Afghan public after the urination video, Quran burnings and a U.S. soldier killing 16 Afghan civilians all occurred in the first three months of the year.

The Quran burnings, in which U.S. soldiers threw away Qurans
to be incinerated at Bagram Air Base, sparked protests across the country that
left several dozen Afghans dead.

President Obama apologized over the incident, and
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called for the U.S. troops to face a public trial in Afghanistan, which
did not occur.

The decision not to press criminal charges against the troops
disciplined could reignite the protests that occurred earlier this year.

The video that showed Marines urinating on Taliban corpses
was shot in July 2011, but it became public in January 2012. The military
initiated two investigations and determined the video was shot by members of
the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The military did not identify the three Marines who pleaded
guilty to their non-judicial punishments. The Marines said in a statement that
this is the first set of disciplinary actions surrounding the video, and more
are currently under way.

One Marine was cited for urinating on the body of a deceased
Taliban soldier and posing with human casualties, another for recording the
video incident and posing, and the third was a non-commissioned officer charged
with failing to report the incident and making a false statement to Naval
Criminal Investigative Service investigator.

The statement suggested that the disciplinary actions could
ultimately cost the Marines their jobs in the military, as it noted that
non-judicial punishment “becomes a permanent part of the Marine's record with
the potential to affect re-enlistment and promotion.”

In the Quran burning case, six soldiers are also facing disciplinary
action, which was first reported by the Wall
Street Journal.